2013-12-16

Skrillex
Event on 2013-12-27 20:00:00

with 12th Planet, Brodinski, Cashmere Cat
"I've been deep into electronic music my entire life. The first records I ever owned were 'Fat of Land' by the Prodigy and 'Come To Daddy' by Aphex Twin," raves Sonny Moore, better known as emerging electronic visionary Skrillex. "Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails were also early influences. I've been dabbling in making electronic tracks on programs like Fruity Loops since I was 14 years old." For fans of Moore's past incarnation as the lead singer of hardcore band From First To Last, the bass bin crushing dance floor beats of Skrillex might come off as something of a shock. But Skrillex is part of a new generation of artists that refuse to be restricted by preconceived notions or outside expectations. "Genre has never been important to me," he insists. "I've never thought about music that way." Describing his current sound as "a mix of dubstep, electro and glitch all thrown together," new Skrillex release "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" reflects all of the above and beyond. The uplifting post-trance synth melodies of "All I Ask of You" (featuring the soaring vocals of Penny) stands in stark contrast to the face-melting electro bass blasts of the massive electro-dubstep hybrid "Rock 'n' Roll (We Will Take You to the Mountain)." "I've listened to so much music for so long, it's more about instinct than influence," Moore explains about his sonic inspirations. "Coming up, I was into a lot of artists on the Warp record label like Autechre, Squarepusher, and Aphex Twin, so Skrillex tracks are inclined to have more changes than most dance tracks normally have. I can draw influences from almost anything. I just like to mess around and create cool new sounds and noises. I just go where the music takes me." After just one hugely successful independent release, "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" is the first Skrillex release on fellow electronic revolutionary Deadmau5's freshly minted Mau5trap record label in conjunction with Big Beat records. "For years, the artists needed the record labels. I don't feel that way at all," Moore stresses. "Skrillex has been 100% independent until now. I think it's so important to be self-sufficient as artist. Signing with Mau5trap/Big Beat allows us all to work as a team and expand on what's already been built." Following its release on Beatport, the 9-song EP dominated the charts on the site, with the title track claiming the site's #1 slot (the first time a dubstep track has ever done so), 8 songs breaking into the top 10, and multiple tracks claiming the #1 slots on several of the site's subgenre charts, including Dubstep, Electro House, Progressive House. Aside from the immediate success of "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" Skrillex has also made a name for himself as a highly sought-after remixer. He's already produced officially commissioned remixes for such A-list artists as the Black Eyed Peas ("Rock That Body"), Lady Gaga ("Bad Romance" and "Alejandro"), and La Roux ("In For The Kill"). Skrillex stands not only at the vanguard of electronic dance music, but the perpetually evolving new music industry as a whole. "For me, it's important to believe in and love the music you're making. I gave away my first EP on my manager's website, just so people could hear the music," he enthuses. "It was downloaded by the thousands in just a couple of months, and it hasn't let up since. That's all the inspiration I need to keep making music. "Skrillex can be anything I want it to be," he continues hopefully. "There are so many different avenues for music now. Video games, movie scores — the possibilities are endless, and I'm excited to be a part of it."

at Shaw Conference Hall

Clonard Road

Edmonton, Canada

The Cult – Electric 13 World Tour
Event on 2013-12-20 20:00:00
friday December 20
7 PM doors / 8 PM showtime  
The Cult – Electric 13 World Tour  (Pop/Rock)
all ages  

ON SALE FRIDAY OCTOBER 18th

Born out of the ashes of the UK post-punk scene, The Cult evolved to become one of the most influential and controversial rock bands of the late 20th century, selling millions of albums, headlining arenas and stadiums around the world, infusing innovative possibilities into the worlds of music and art, and quickly ascending through the ranks of the indie music world to achieve global status.  As early as its first American tour in 1984, The Cult became one of the handful of important bands in the U.S. post-modern and hard rock communities.  The band was embraced by the lost children of The Doors and Velvet Underground, and a generation that was waking up to the influence of 60s and 70s rock icons like Led Zeppelin, The New York Dolls and David Bowie.

 

Formed in Brixton, London in 1983 as Death Cult, The Cult’s music transformed from punk rock to post-punk, psychedelia, heavy dance music, and transcendental hard rock.  As one journalist noted, “Using a few simple riffs and images, The Cult creates an entire environment, one more exciting and stimulating than our own.”

 

And that may just be what separates The Cult from other artists.  Imagery is all-important to vocalist/lyricist Ian Astbury, imagery in the music and in the art that accompanies the Cult’s projects.  Astbury is attracted to words and the image that each word creates.  He is engaged by the power of nature, folklore, the concept of destiny, animal power symbols, the survival of the species, spirituality, and certainly the Native American myth and culture, a subject of many of The Cult’s songs.

 

The constant core of The Cult is Astbury and guitarist/composer Billy Duffy.  Attitude incarnate, the chemistry between these two vastly different artists – equal-parts genuine affection and palpable tension – remains the source of their long-standing partnership.  Duffy grounds Astbury’s esoteric side with a hard rock perspective, and there is no doubt that at all times, these two have each other’s backs.

 

*     *     *

 

HISTORY:

Following a string of EPs and singles in the U.K., The Cult signed to Beggars Banquet Records and released its debut album, Dreamtime, in 1984.  They were immediately booked by famed indie champion Ruth Polsky to perform at the legendary Danceteria in New York City.  “We arrived in New York in July 1984,” remembers Astbury.  “As soon as we landed, I knew I was home.”

 

In 1985, the band recorded the Love album with producer Steve Brown, experienced its first high-profile success with the classic track “She Sells Sanctuary” that won a CMJ Award for Song of the Year, presented to the band by Yoko Ono.  The Cult was then quickly signed by Seymour Stein to Sire Records, home of Madonna, Talking Heads and The Ramones.  To support Love, The Cult embarked on its first major world tour that took them throughout the U.K. and Europe, to the U.S. and Canada, first-time concerts in Tokyo and Osaka, and a booking on “Saturday Night Live.”  “Touring was a major part of our lives,” said Astbury.  “We never seemed to be home during the 80s, and that took its toll upon our psyche.”

 

Following the breakthrough success of Love, The Cult solicited producer Rick Rubin in 1986, originally to assist in finishing its album Electric; but eventually, the band re-recording the entire album with Rubin as producer at New York City’s Electric Ladyland Studios.  "We couldn't believe it at first,” remembered Duffy,  “but we finally realized that he was right.  He was tough on us in the studio, making me come up with whole new riffs for song, but it was worth it.  We got the album we wanted. It's got the power of the bands that first made us want to be in rock 'n' roll.”

 

The Electric album was released in 1987, and while it went on to be featured in the book “1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die,” it polarized critics and audience members.  Regardless, Electric peaked on the U.S. and U.K. charts at #38 and #4 respectively, became the band’s first Platinum album, and was supported by a world tour with Guns N’ Roses in the opening slot for the North American leg.  Beginning in January of that year, The Cult headlined arenas in the U.K., Europe, the U.S., Canada, and Australia, opened select dates for Iggy Pop and David Bowie, returning at the end of the year to sell out Wembley Arena and Brixton Academy in London.  The pace was intense.

 

After nearly seven years of non-stop touring and recording, The Cult moved to Los Angeles in 1988 and began work on Sonic Temple, setting up shop in Vancouver with Bob Rock.  This was to be a watershed moment.  The band was at the top of its game, and Sonic Temple became The Cult’s second album to achieve Platinum success when it was released in 1989.  Sonic Temple featured some of The Cult’s most popular songs including “Fire Woman,” “Sun King,” “Edie (Ciao Baby),” and “Sweet Soul Sister,” and the band achieved critical and commercial success as the album attained the #10 spot on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart.  Additionally, the band’s promo videos were a fixture on MTV’s main rotation, and The Cult was the first band to appear on the legendary “120 Minutes” and “Headbangers Ball,” simultaneously.  The Sonic Temple tour was an unprecedented success, but took its toll mentally and physically on the band members.

 

Astbury has often been a step or two ahead of the masses.  With the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival in mind, his 1990 “Gathering of the Tribes,” a two-city, two-day festival that brought together a diverse roster of rock, rap, and pop acts and their respective audiences, was the blueprint for Lollapalooza and subsequent traveling festivals such as Warped, Mayhem, and Ozzfest.  “I thought it would be great to put a diverse bill together and see if it could happen and introduce all the segregate groups to each other,” Astbury explained.  The final bill featured Iggy Pop, the Charlatans U.K., the Cramps, Ice-T, Indigo Girls, Queen Latifah, and Soundgarden – along with an appearance by the American Indian Dance Theatre and representation from various environmental and social-activist groups.  With “Gathering of the Tribes,” Astbury demonstrated that “us and them doesn’t exist anymore.”

 

Nineteen-ninety-two saw the release of Ceremony that rose to #25 on the Billboard charts and was well-received by the band’s core audience.  The Cult went on to perform to its biggest crowds yet, with Lenny Kravitz signed on as an opening act.  The tour wound up in a glorious celebratory night at the Los Angeles Forum.

 

The band needed a creative challenge. 

 

Again, Rick Rubin entered the picture, producing The Witch as part of an eclectic soundtrack for the movie “Cool World.”  The band then forged ahead and began working with producer Bob Rock on its fifth studio album simply titled The Cult.  The album, stripped down and raw in its lyrical content, reached #1 on the UK charts.

 

Performing at Australia’s “Big Day Out” in early 1995 alongside Primal Scream, Ministry and Hole, the cracks were evident with Astbury’s performances becoming more and more erratic.  After a particularly adrenaline-fueled show, Astbury left the tour and the band on Rio de Janeiro’s Copa Cabana Beach.  “I sat in a hotel room in Miami and got my head together,” confessed Astbury.  “I decided I wanted to explore another direction.”

 

Astbury recorded two albums in the space of three years, Holy Barbarians and Spirit Light Speed, that was produced by Chris Goss, while Duffy, along with the Alarm’s Mike Peters, formed the group Colorsound.  “I never felt The Cult was over,” said Astbury, “just on ice.  I needed time to discover who I was.”  Having been in bands and on stage since the age of 19, in 1998, Astbury took some time off and traveled to Tibet and Nepal, a journey that had a profound affect on him.

 

In 1999, The Cult returned with a heralded, sold-out seven-night stand at the House of Blues on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip, renamed the “House of Cult” for the run.  A new record contract with Lava/Atlantic Records quickly followed.  However, no one could have predicted what was about to take place in America, much less the music industry, when 9/11 happened.  Although the band’s sixth studio album, Beyond Good and Evil, proved to be prophetic with songs such as “War” and “Ashes and Ghosts,” the Time Warner/AOL merger essentially left the band without a functioning label.  Recalls Astbury, “When we arrived in New York City about a month after 9/11 for a gig at Madison Square Garden with Aerosmith, the mood was subdued, it was heartbreaking.”

 

Danny Sugarman contacted Astbury in 2001 about participating in the reunion of The Doors for an episode of VH1’s “Storytellers.”  After the taping, Sugarman asked Astbury to play again with The Doors’ keyboard player Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robbie Krieger; the performance went so well, Astbury was asked to take part in the “Doors of the 21st Century”/”Riders on the Storm” projects, performing 150 shows over a five year period.

 

During this time, Duffy kept himself occupied with a variety of projects.  He recorded a debut album and toured with his new band Circus Diablo, and formed Cardboard Vampyres with Jerry Cantrell, playing select dates on the west coast.

 

Astbury collaborated with the British band U.N.K.L.E. in 2007 for their album War Stories.  That same year, The Cult launched the “Return To Wild Tour,” signed a new deal and in 2007, released Born Into This, produced by lauded British producer Youth, and acclaimed by fans and critics.  The UK’s Mojo called it “a wholehearted, utopian and irrefutably exciting record.” 

 

The band continued touring in support of the album followed by the 2009-2010 “Love Live” tour, where they performed the seminal Love album for the first time in its entirety on dates in the U.S., Europe, New Zealand, Australia and Japan, peaking at a sold-out performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, a dream of Duffy’s.

 

In 2011, The Cult – Astbury, Duffy, drummer John Tempesta and bassist Chris Wyse – recorded Choice of Weapon, the band’s first new studio album in five years, set for a May 22, 2012 release date on Cooking Vinyl Records.  Long-time Cult collaborator and producer Bob Rock put the finishing touches on the foundations that were laid by producer Chris Goss.  The album’s 10 tracks, reveal the band at its rawest and most visceral, encapsulating cinematic visions and themes of love, revolt and redemption.

 

According to Astbury, “We don’t have fans, we have devotees.  You either need it or you don’t.  You either get it or you won’t.  There is nothing casual about The Cult.”

 

The band launched a highly successful world-wide tour in support of Choice of Weapon, that reached into the zeitgeist of popular culture with a firm grip, garnering the band accolades far and wide, from bloggers, to indie tastemakers, to the stalwarts of rock press.

 

“richly textured and lyrically compelling” – The Huffington Post, April 2012

 

“as epic and compelling as nearly anything in the Cult’s catalogue” – Magnet Magazine, June 2012

 

“ a solid effort that loyal followers and new fans alike can embrace as the band’s best album” – Yahoo!, May 2012

 

“Choice of Weapon is centered on the same kind of stormy guitar riffs and sweeping vocals that fueled the Cult’s most beloved songs” – Los Angeles Times, June 2012

 

The Cult wrapped up the 2012 event that was Choice Of Weapon in the early fall season, but not until they surprised fans and the media alike with a limited release of Weapon Of Choice,  the raw, less filtered recordings, solely produced by Chris Goss, that set the stage for what would become quite possibly the best Cult record of their career.

 

Of course, with 2013 upon us Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy have already begun to sift through the ideas that will become the next Cult record. With an eye on a 2014 release, it would beg to leave Cult fan’s a bit disenfranchised, if it were not for ELECTRIC 13.

 

" The Cult needs to play to stay alive we are between albums and decided we wanted to continue the momentum of COW , stay in people’s hearts and minds , as LOVE was such an incredible experience we have decided that performing ELECTRIC would be a great excuse to play out again, “ stated Astbury.

 

 

In 1987, The Cult released “Electric”, an album of stylistic change that aimed the band straight at the heart of the hard rock market. Recorded in New York City, and filled with the energy of a bustling NYC sidewalk, together with a young producer named Rick Rubin, who resonated more with the hip hop world of The Beastie Boys, Run DMC, and Public Enemy; the band delivered a record that has gone on to become one of The Cult’s most successful releases of all time, and as a follow up to Love, kicked the door wide open to an American audience.

 

 

The Cult will deliver “ELECTRIC” unfiltered in the summer of 2013, as the event branded as ELECTRIC 13. This won’t be your typical “play the record in order” tour. This moment promises that these pivotal tracks will be shot out of the speakers by a band at the height of their powers, in full focus, and edged. They will reignite a body of work, worthy of the distance, worthy of an audience, and worthy of The Cult’s legacy. The show will include more, much more of everything. How much more? How much more do you really need?

 

So Cult fans take note, there will be no pause this year. This is ELECTRIC 13!

general admission advance
general admission day of show
, 35 DOS reserve seated balcony
* prices may be subject to service fees

at Rialto Theatre

318 East Congress Street

Tucson, United States

The BoDeans
Event on 2013-12-27 21:00:00

Out of Town:

When: 12/27/13 @ 9:00pm
Cost: -
Call: 608-255-4646
Web: www.paysbig.com

More Information:
Friday, December 27 at 9 p.m.
The Northern Lights Theater

Long known as one of the best live acts in the business, BoDeans continue to tour year round and deliver amazing, high energy, performances. "I realized some time ago that the key to the BoDeans identity is the fans' connection to our music. Nowhere is that more evident or rewarding as when we come together live. We love to connect with fans who have supported us for so long and brought us so much inspiration," said Kurt Neumann, the band's founder and front man. "We will continue to play as long as they continue to come out and sing along."

Chart topping songs like "Fadeaway," "Only Love" and "Dreams" won them Rolling Stone's readers' poll for "Best New American Band," in 1987. They were part of a small contingent of bands that inspired a new radio format known as Adult Alternative Album Rock (Triple A). Their reputation for delivering dynamic live shows garnered support slots with U2, Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Tom Petty, George Thorogood, The Pretenders, David Bowie, and appearances at Farm Aid, Summerfest, Austin City Limits and many more.

In the more than twenty years that followed the release of "Love & Sex & Hope & Dreams," the band released several albums containing songs played heavily at radio, on TV shows and movies, and defined a sound that a generation embraced—songs like "Good Things," "You Don't Get Much," "Idaho," "If It Makes You," "Closer to Free," "Stay," "American," and, "All the World," which was recently featured on CMT.

BoDeans now reside in that small group of bands that have managed to survive the ups and downs of the music industry, remaining true to their sound and style for nearly 30 years. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum has them permanently displayed as part of their Midwest Artists exhibit.
– See more at: http://paysbig.com/entertainment/calendar/bodeans-in-milwaukee/#sthash.9BqUmGAu.dpuf

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at Potawatomi Casino

1721 W Canal St

Milwaukee, United States

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